Ferb, you've got to help me
by Sabrina06
Summary: Prequel to 'Coffee Talk' Chap 57: The Fireside Girls & Phineas.


**AN: This story takes place before Coffee Talk Chapter 57: Fireside Girls & Phineas. Axis22 thought it strange that the unnamed source, presumably Ferb, would 'blabber'. Let's rewind the story a wee bit and see what really happened shall we?**

**It's not uncommon for me to respond to reviews. The post-story banter is great fun and I do enjoy the game of "verbal ping-pong" to see where things could end up. Thank you foobar137, we tend to bring out the best (or is that the strangest) of each other; for without your assistance, this could never have come to fruition. I now present Phineas and the FS girls (okay that just sounds bad).**

It was a warm Saturday in May, Phineas and Ferb were standing in their backyard. "You know Ferb, today's going to be a great day; I can feel it." Phineas said to his taller counterpart. Ferb nodded in reply.

The garden gate opened and a group of girls walked through. "Hey, Phineas. Whatcha doin?" Isabella greeted the younger of the two boys. Phineas grinned ear-to-ear when he heard the melodic greeting from his best friend. The rest of the girls started to giggle as Ferb rolled his eyes. "Oh hi, Ferb." Isabella said as an afterthought, when she noticed him standing beside the oak tree. _It only took her 40 seconds today._ He thought to himself as he raised his hand and nodded.

Such was the routine every Saturday until school ended; then it became a daily routine.

July was bright and sunny. One Tuesday afternoon the backyard was full of friends, and a platypus. "Oh, there you are Perry." Phineas said as he laughed at the fun everyone had that day. It wasn't long before everyone had to go home for dinner. Phineas and Ferb went to get changed, their parents were taking Candace out for her birthday.

The Flynn-Fletcher brothers were in their room, getting ready. "Ferb? What do you think we should do tomorrow? I want to make sure that everyone has fun." Phineas commented as he tried combing his hair; with little success. Ferb shrugged his shoulders as he tied his tie. The youngest creased his brow. "I hope we come up with something that helps Isabella with a patch or two." Ferb rolled his eyes.

Phineas turned to face his brother. "Ferb? Do you think she likes me?" Ferb shrugged his shoulders and Phineas continued. "I don't try to come up with all these big ideas just for the fun of it. I want her to notice me." He said. Ferb smirked in response.

Ferb pulled his good shoes out of the closet and started to leave the room, when Phineas blocked the door. "Ferb, I need your help. I want her to like me." Ferb looked at him. "Just be yourself… and tell her." Phineas' eyes went wide. "I can't tell her, not yet."

A few days later the back gate opened. "Hi Phineas. Whatcha doin?" Isabella sang. He looked up from his blueprint. "Hey, Isabella! Nice day today, isn't it?" She smiled at him and giggled. "Yes, yes it is. What's the plan for today?"

A few hours later, a green beam of light hit the structure and it shimmered out of existence. "Awww." Everyone chorused before they left through the gate. Isabella turned to Phineas. "That's too bad Phineas, I was hoping that we could have enjoyed another turn… just the two of us." Phineas started scratching his ear. "Uh, yeah… maybe tomorrow."

Phineas then turned toward the house. "I'm going to get a couple of drinks; would you like one?" Isabella wasn't listening to him anymore. She turned and looked for the one who did listen to her. She turned to Ferb and hugged him tight, crying against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hushed her.

Isabella looked up at Ferb with teary eyes. "Why Ferb? Why doesn't he see?" Ferb hugged her tight. "I don't know what to say." He whispered to her, then offered her his hand. "Let's go inside."

Isabella offered a watery smile and took his hand. Ferb led her into the house and into the kitchen. Isabella sat down. Ferb poured her a drink and offered her a couple of cookies. They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each others company.

"So, Ferb… did you help plan out today's activity?" She asked and Ferb shook his head. Isabella glanced around the kitchen, it was just the two of them. "Ferb, can I ask you something?" She inquired and he nodded, indicating she could continue. "Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked and he shook his head.

Isabella sat stunned for a moment. "Why not? You're popular, good-looking and sweet." Ferb looked to the table, his cheeks flushed. Isabella started to giggle. "Did I make the big, strong man blush? Is Ferby embarrassed?" She said in a baby voice. Ferb narrowed his eyes as he looked up. "Don't call me that… ever." He whispered dangerously.

Phineas heard Isabella talking to his brother from the living room. _She's given him a nickname? Why does she talk to him? I wish she'd talk to me._ He thought to himself, then went upstairs.

Isabella went home and Ferb went upstairs. He opened the door to his shared bedroom; Phineas was playing a video game and looked up. "Isabella went home?" He inquired and Ferb nodded. Phineas continued playing his game while Ferb pulled out a book and lay down on his bed.

Phineas looked over to his brother with a scowl, then continued with his game for a while. Ferb lounged on his bed, reading when a game controller hit him in the head. Ferb rolled over and looked at Phineas. "What was that for?" He demanded as he put the controller on the bedside table.

Phineas lept to his feet and glared at Ferb who raised an eyebrow in return. Ferb sat up. "Is something wrong, Phin?" Phineas' jaw dropped. "As if you don't know." He said and Ferb's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "I think I'm missing something, can you fill in some blanks for me?" He said as he rubbed his head.

Phineas looked at Ferb in disbelief. "We've talked about this! I like Isabella. You said you were okay with that… Ferby." Ferb started to snicker. "Okay, I'm not missing something, you are." He said, then Phineas launched himself at Ferb; tackling him to the bed.

Ferb quickly got the upper hand by pinning Phineas and looked directly at him. "She's not my type, you can have her." Phineas kicked and thrashed, his foot connected with Ferb's knee. "Why you little…" Ferb complained as he released his brother's wrists. "You deserve it… Ferby." Phineas taunted.

Ferb made an exasperated noise and left the room. Phineas sat up and got off his brother's bed.

Ferb went downstairs and helped prepare dinner before sitting down to dine with the family. Phineas kept shooting his brother dirty looks throughout dinner. "Is something the matter, Phineas?" Linda asked him and he shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all." He replied and Ferb rolled his eyes.

After dinner Ferb went to his shared room to read.

Phineas went into the den and called Isabella. "Hello, Isabella? I was just wondering…" He started his conversation when he noticed his mother standing in the doorway. "... I was just wondering if you were…" he looked around and grabbed the remote, turning the television on. "... watching the, uh... history of print." He said and grimaced. _Who would watch something like this?_ He thought. "No, huh. Yeah, I'm thinking of changing the channel. I'll call you later. Sure, see you tomorrow." He disconnected the call.

Phineas went upstairs and got ready for bed. "Are you going to admit you like her?" He demanded of Ferb, who shook his head. "No, I'll not admit I like her." Ferb replied then lay down and pulled the covers up. "Because I don't."

Phineas stared at his brother a moment. "Why don't you like her? She's a great girl. She's smart, funny, cute." Ferb rolled over. "I get it, you like her. It took you long enough. It's been almost four months that you've wanted to ask her out; so do it already." Phineas' jaw dropped. "I can't just ask her out." Phineas said. "I can't ask her out because she likes you."

Ferb shook his head and adjusted his pillow.

Phineas crawled into his bed and fell into an uneasy sleep.

_The sun was shining and everyone was in the backyard. Isabella was looking at Ferb when he gave her a wink. She then moved closer to him as though he were the only one there. Phineas watched as the girl he was crushing on started playing with his brother's hair. 'I wish she would play with my hair like that.' He thought._

_Phineas went back to working on the structure. "Ferb, can you hand me…." He looked over to find that Ferb was no longer in the backyard, nor was Isabella._

_Suddenly, the backyard was empty. Everyone was gone, the building was gone. Phineas looked around, he was sitting under the tree. He looked up from the blueprint in his lap to see Isabella standing in the doorway. She was wearing a little black dress. The hem fell just above her knee and one of the shoulder straps had fallen._

_Ferb came up behind her, he placed his hands on her waist. She turned to face him and he leaned over and kissed her. They then broke the kiss and looked toward Phineas and smiled at him. Isabella then adjusted the strap of her dress and headed toward the garden gate._

_"Ferb!" Phineas hollered._

Phineas' eyes shot open. He reached over and turned his bedside lamp on, then looked at his brother in the next bed. "Ferb." He called out. The other teen stirred but remained asleep.

Phineas let his eyes adjust for a minute as he continued to look at the sleeping form of his brother. Ferb rolled over and his eyes cracked open. "What's going on? Why's the light on?"

Phineas glared at his brother across the room. "You kissed her. You kissed her and looked down the top of her dress!" He accused. Ferb, for his part, listened to what his brother was saying. "Are you referring to Isabella again?" Ferb inquired sleepily and Phineas nodded. "Phineas," Ferb began, "...you had a nightmare, that's all. I would never kiss Isabella, or look down her dress. Now, turn off the light and go back to sleep." He said as he closed his eyes against the light.

Phineas looked at his brother. "Why wouldn't you kiss Isabella?" Ferb cracked an eye open. "I'm not interested in her. Good night." He said and Phineas asked another question. "Why wouldn't you want to look down her dress? I'd love to look down her dress." Ferb groaned. "I don't care what she does or doesn't have under her dress. If you want to see what's there, I hope you can summon the courage to one day get that opportunity. Now go back to sleep." He said as he rolled over and snaked one arm under his pillow.

Phineas turned the lamp off and fell back into an uneasy sleep.

_Phineas was sitting in the empty house, he wasn't doing anything, just sitting there. The front door opened and he heard Isabella's giggle. "Oh, Ferb. I had such a wonderful time." She said, as she moved into the living room, closely followed by Ferb._

_Phineas looked up from where he was sitting. "Hey, Isabella. Whatcha doin?" He asked, causing her to giggle again. "Hey, Phineas. Ferb and I are just going to go upstairs to… talk." She replied with a blush and a giggle. Ferb came up behind her and placed his hand on her lower back. He looked over his shoulder and smirked at his brother._

_Phineas heard the bedroom door close then thought to himself. 'She's trying to get him to notice her, today she's wearing tight jeans and an even tighter top.' He then realised that he was the only other person in the house and quickly ran up the stairs._

_Phineas didn't bother to knock on the door he just flung it open and went into his shared room. "Ferb, we're not supposed to have anyone…" He began and watched as his brother made out with Isabella on the yellow, inflatable bed. He saw Isabella run her hands through Ferb's hair before he rolled off her. "Hey, Phineas… Whatcha doin?" She giggled at him._

_Phineas stood still a moment. "Ferb! What are you doing on my bed?" Isabella giggled again. "We're waiting for you to join us." She said._

Phineas fell out of bed with a thud, tangled in his blankets. He stood up and flung the blankets off his brother's bed. "Wake up Ferb!" He hollered at the sleeping teen. Ferb opened his eyes and saw the hatred in his brother's face. Ferb tried to sit up but Phineas pushed him down, pinning him with all the strength he could muster.

As Phineas sat on his brother staring into his face, he started to cry. "I can't do this. Ferb, you've got to help me. Please, can you ask Isabella out for me?" He choked out as he sat back. Ferb sat up and rested his hand on Phineas' shoulder. "I'm not going to ask her out for you, however, I'll make a deal with you. You ask Isabella out and I'll ask out… the girl I've got my eye on; tomorrow." Phineas' eyes lit up. "You'd do that… for me?"

Phineas got off Ferb's bed and picked up his blankets. He then got back into his own bed. "Who do you have your eye on?" He inquired. Ferb readjusted his own blankets and paused for a moment. "I'd rather not say, in case it doesn't work out." He replied.

Phineas looked across the dimly lit room. "C'mon Ferb. You know who I like." Ferb scoffed back at his brother. "Everyone knew who you liked, long before you knew." He finished with an unseen eye roll.

Phineas was quiet for a moment. " ...wait, people knew I liked Isabella? How? I couldn't have been that obvious… could I?" Ferb looked at the scared little boy across the room. "Sorry, Phin. Everyone knew. It was quite obvious. You were too busy flirting with Isabella to notice." Phineas lay on his back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I've never flirted with her!" Ferb tried not to laugh too loudly. "Ppft. 'Oh, Isabella... you've got the hiccups, let me build you a haunted house to scare you.', 'Oh, you just got your tonsils out; let me make you the largest sundae I can.' The list goes on."

Phineas grabbed his blanket and pulled it up to his chin. "Good night Ferb. I know what we're going to do tomorrow." He said defeatedly.

In the morning, the boys woke up a little late and got dressed. Phineas was wearing a T-Shirt and cargo shorts, Ferb was wearing a T-Shirt with his jeans. Then they went downstairs for breakfast.

Phineas looked at Ferb, who was intently staring at his breakfast. "Is something the matter dear?" Linda asked and Ferb shook his head, then took a bite. She went back to washing the dishes when she turned around again. "Ferb, you don't look well; are you sure you're okay?" Ferb gave a quick thumb up, a nod and took another bite of his breakfast.

The boys put their shoes on and went into the back yard. "Okay, bro. Good luck. By the way, who are you asking out?" Phineas inquired. Ferb looked to the ground for a moment, then replied. "I can't tell you. I'll give you a hint, she's an only child." Phineas grinned at his brother. "Good luck bro. I'll see you later." Ferb nodded and left, closing the gate behind him.

Phineas sat under the oak tree going over what he rehearsed to himself, when the back gate opened. "Hey Phineas, whatcha doin?" Isabella greeted as she came in. Phineas smiled as he stood up. "Hey Isabella… I, uh… Hi." He stumbled over his words. Isabella came over and sat under the tree, she patted the ground beckoning Phineas to sit beside her.

"So, Phineas, what's the project for today?" Isabella asked. Phineas stopped breathing for a moment. "I, uh… don't know. You see, Ferb had something he wanted to do today." He replied. Isabella looked around. "Oh, I didn't realise he wasn't here." She said with a smile.

The two friends talked for the next few hours, never moving from under the tree. Isabella looked at her watch. "I've got to go, I have a Fireside Girls' meeting I need to get ready for." Phineas smiled at her. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you with a patch today.' He said. Isabella hugged him. "Actually, you helped me earn my 'Chat with a Friend' patch." She replied and waved as she opened the garden gate. "See you tomorrow, Phin."

Phineas sat back down under the tree. He glanced up when the gate opened and Ferb walked in, rubbing his neck. "Hey bro, how'd it go?" Phineas asked as he stood up and walked with Ferb to the house. Ferb nodded, offered a small smile and continued to rub his neck. Phineas paused in his step. "You asked her out?" Ferb walked into the house. Phineas could tell, Ferb had successfully asked out the girl who had caught his eye.

Phineas stood in the backyard for a few minutes. Ferb had succeeded where he had failed.

Phineas followed Ferb upstairs and into their shared room. Ferb went to his bureau and pulled out a button shirt and placed it on his bed. He then tried to quickly take his T-Shirt off and put the button shirt on. He wasn't quick enough, Phineas noticed some marks on his brother's shoulders and neck. "Ferb, what happened?"

Ferb turned to face his brother. "I asked her out. She said yes." Phineas' eyes went wide. "That's great, bro." Phineas said then stepped closer to Ferb. "What happened to your neck?" Ferb turned and examined his reflection in the mirror. "It's worse than I thought." He whispered, then turned back to Phineas. "So, how about you?"

Phineas looked to the floor. "I couldn't do it. Isabella came over and we ended up talking until she had to leave for her meeting." He then looked pleadingly to his brother. "Ferb, you have to help me. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. Should I talk with the rest of the Fireside Girls, do you think they would help me?"

Ferb sighed. "Do you want me to send a couple of messages to the girls asking for their help?" Phineas' eyes lit up. "Could you do that?" Ferb nodded as he buttoned the top buttons on his shirt and looked in the mirror and adjusted his collar as he tried to hide the marks. He then opened a drawer and brought out a sweater and pulled it on. Both brothers looked worried. "Mum's going to notice something's up." Ferb commented and Phineas nodded. "It's a good look for you though. By the way, you've got some lipstick behind your ear."

After dinner the boys went outside and sat under the tree. "Have you sent that message to the girls yet?" Phineas asked and Ferb shook his head. "Not yet." He said and pulled out his phone. Phineas reached out for the device. "May I?" He inquired and Ferb handed it over. "Remember, don't send the message to Isabella." Ferb said and Phineas nodded. "Right, that would be a bad idea."

A few minutes later the girls started to reply. "Tell Phineas to meet us at the coffee shop 10am tomorrow."


End file.
